Yehoshua/0

Yehoshua

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Unique Traits

Faith in Hashem

Yehoshua exhibits consistent faith in Hashem, being one of the few in his generation not to participate in either of the nation's two biggest debacles in the Wilderness, the Sin of the Golden Calf and the Sin of the Spies.

Loyal Servant

Several verses highlight the close relationship that Yehoshua had with Moshe:

• "משרת משה" (Shemot 24:13) – Yehoshua is referred to as Moshe's "servant" four times.¹ It is not clear from the text what duties are included in "serving Moshe," though it is possible that Yehoshua took care of Moshe's physical needs. Regardless, the title highlights the close connection between the two leaders, and suggests that Yehoshua might have been groomed from early on to be Moshe's successor.
• "לֹא יָמִישׁ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל" (Shemot 33:11) – After the Sin of the Golden Calf, when Moshe erects his personal tent outside the camp, we are told that though Moshe would return to the camp, Yehoshua "did not depart from the tent".  What does this mean?  What does it teach about Yehoshua?
• Learned Torah – RalbagShemot Beur HaMilot 33:11About R. Levi b. Gershom and NetzivShemot 33:11About R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin explain that Yehoshua spent his days delving into the Torah taught him by Moshe.² This diligence, Ralbag claims, is what merited Yehoshua to prophesy and lead the nation. Though we often think of Yehoshua as primarily a military leader, these sources emphasize his great Torah knowledge and devotion to Moshe's teachings as well.
• Stand guard – SefornoShemot 33:11About R. Ovadyah Seforno suggests that it was Yehoshua's job to watch over Moshe's tent and guard that others from Israel would not enter. Ibn Kaspi adds that this highlights the trust Moshe had in Yehoshua, allowing him full access to and responsibility over his private tent.
• Did not hear Hashem's word – ShadalShemot 33:11About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto, in contrast, suggests that the verse is not lauding Yehoshua, but rather highlighting the difference in level between him and Moshe. While Moshe went to the tent's entrance so as to hear Hashem "face to face," Yehoshua was relegated to the inside, where Hashem's voice did not reach.³  
• "אֲדֹנִי מֹשֶׁה כְּלָאֵם" (Bemidbar 11:26-29) – After Eldad and Medad begin to prophesy in the camp, Yehoshua tells Moshe "אֲדֹנִי מֹשֶׁה כְּלָאֵם". From Moshe's reaction, "הַמְקַנֵּא אַתָּה לִי", it is clear that Yehoshua's accusation is motivated by a desire to protect Moshe's honor. Commentators offer several explanations of what it was that bothered Yehoshua, but all agree that he was acting to ensure that the people respect Moshe's authority and recognize his unique status:
• Content of prophecy – Eldad and Medad were prophesying about Moshe's upcoming death and Yehoshua's succession (RashiBemidbar 11:28About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki). To Yehoshua, the loyal servant, speaking about Moshe's replacement bordered on rebellion.
• Appearance of equality – In contrast to the elders who were able to prophesy only via partaking of Moshe's spirit,⁴ Eldad and Medad  prophesied on their own, with no connection to Moshe's abilities. This made it appear as if they might have independent capabilities that could compete with Moshe. This appearance of potential equality led to Yehoshua's zealous response. (R. HirschBemidbar 11:28About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch)
• Acting without permission – Alternatively, Yehoshua believed that the two were acting without permission (R"Y Bekhor ShorBemidbar 11:28About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor). Yehoshua  was upset by such disregard of Moshe's authority.

Military Prowess

• Amalek – Just weeks after leaving Egypt, Yehoshua serves in a military capacity, leading the nation in battle against Amalek. However, the verses imply that the outcome on the battlefield had more to do with Moshe's raising or lowering of his hands than with Yehoshua's skills at warfare. What does this suggest about Yehoshua's military prowess?
• Skilled in warfare – R"Y Kara and Rashbam understands that Moshe's raising of his hands acted as a morale booster for the nation (much like a flag bearer), while R"Y Bekhor Shor suggests that it was a sign to those remaining in the camp to send reinforcements.  According to both readings, the war was won through natural means and the victory presumably had much to do with Yehoshua's military skill.
• No skills necessary – R. Avraham b. HaRambam and Ramban assume that Moshe's raised hands were a gesture of prayer. Ramban further raises the possibility that Moshe took the staff so as to bring plagues upon the enemy. If so, it is possible that the victory was unrelated to military might and was supernatural in nature.⁵ Yehoshua need not have had previous experience or expertise on the battlefront as it was really Moshe's prayers and miracle-making which decided the outcome.

• Other Battles in the Wilderness – Interestingly, Yehoshua is not mentioned in the descriptions of any of the later battles in the Wilderness (against Arad, Sichon, Og, or Midyan). What does this imply?
• It is possible that despite the textual silence, Yehoshua led the military side of these battles as well, and this is simply assumed by the text.
• Alternatively, perhaps for most of the wilderness period, it was Moshe who acted as general-in-chief,⁶ and Yehoshua's role in the battle with Amalek was exceptional, necessary only because during that first battle Moshe preferred to take a spiritual role.
• Conquest of Canaan

Respected and Uncontested Leader

The transition of leadership from Moshe to Yehoshua is one of the only smooth transitions of leadership in all of Tanakh. Yehoshua takes on the mantle without opposition and appears to be respected from the very beginning of his tenure.  How did he accomplish this?

• Moshe's foresight – Moshe takes the initiative to request of Hashem to choose a leader to replace him, making sure that his successor is appointed already in his lifetime and not only after his death. The appointment is made publicly, preventing any questions as to Yehoshua's legitimacy.
• Yehoshua's relationship to Moshe – Yehoshua's prior role as Moshe's servant both lent him credibility in the people's eyes and helped prepare him for the task.
• Yehoshua's character – Yehoshua's role as general in chief during the Wilderness period made him an obvious candidate to lead the Conquest, while his spotless record in matters of faith marked him worthy of spiritual leadership as well.
• Lack of competition – Given that the entire generation of the Wilderness had died out excepting Yehoshua and Calev, there was not much competition for the job.  Yehoshua was an elder not only in wisdom but in years as well, being a couple of decades older than everyone else entering the land.

Prophetic Abilities

Possible Flaws

Hesitant Leadership?

• Initial silence in the story of the spies? – Both Yehoshua and Calev disassociate themselves from the negative report of the other spies, but perhaps surprisingly it is Calev, rather than Yehoshua, who appears to take the lead role in combating their claims. Thus, it is Calev who initially stands up to hush the people after the spies speak (Bemidbar 13:30), while Yehoshua is not mentioned until the next chapter. How are we to understand Yehoshua's initial silence?⁷

• Pointless to talk – ShadalBemidbar 13:30About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto and R. HirschBemidbar 13:30About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch claim that due to Yehoshua's position as "משרת משה", he realized that anything he would say to defend Moshe or sway the people would be ineffective. They would just attribute his stance to his loyalty to Moshe and not take his message to heart, so there was no point in speaking up.
• Different ideology – Alternatively, it is possible that Yehoshua disagreed with the ideology behind Calev's speech. Calev attempted to persuade the people that they were capable of conquest, but this suggests that victory is about military strength rather than Hashem's aid. Yehoshua, thus, speaks up only afterwards to highlight how all is in Hashem's hand, "אִם חָפֵץ בָּנוּ י״י וְהֵבִיא אֹתָנוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת וּנְתָנָהּ לָנוּ".‎⁸
• Waiting for Moshe's guidance – While Moshe was still alive, Yehoshua might not have felt comfortable acting independently without guidance from his mentor.  As such, he might hesitated, seeking a clue from Moshe as to how to respond.⁹  This need not be viewed as a lack of leadership, but as a sign of Yehoshua's complete trust in and obedience to Moshe.

• Absence during the Sin of the Golden Calf – Most commentators assume that Yehoshua stayed at the foot of the mountain, apart from the Israelite camp, throughout the forty days that Moshe spoke with Hashem. As such, he was entirely unaware of the Sin of the Golden Calf and could not be expected to have intervened to stop it. However, when Moshe descends the mountain, Yehoshua tells him that he hears voices of war. Considering that Yehoshua is the nation's general, why, if he assumed that there was a battle taking place, did he not go to the people's aid?
• Waiting for Moshe – It is possible that Yehoshua was not independent enough to act without orders from superiors. As others had been put in charge of the nation during Moshe's absence he waited until they (or Moshe) turned to him. One might question whether this is a positive or negative trait.  Perhaps Yehoshua's greatness lay in his obedience to superiors rather than in his initiative-taking.
• Unaware of cries – Alternatively, Yehoshua did not hear the cries at all until speaking with Moshe. It is possible that Yehoshua had actually ascended the mountain with Moshe, either part way¹⁰ or entirely,¹¹ and that only midway down the mountain, as they neared the camp, did Yehoshua hear the cries. If so, Yehoshua showed no negligence in his duty at all.

Possible Sins

• Making a Covenant with the Givonim

Doubting Hashem?

Family Life

Tanakh does not explicitly discuss Yehoshua's family life, but Divrei HaYamim 7 might imply that he had no children. In listing the descendants of Ephraim, the chapter mentions Yehoshua but no further descendants, suggesting that he might not have had any. Bavli Megillah 14b, however, maintains that though Yehoshua bore no boys he did bear girls. The gemara presents him as marrying Rachav (after she converted) and claims that among their descendants was Chuldah the prophetess.

Yehoshua vs. Moshe

¹ See Shemot 24:13, Shemot 33:11, Bemidbar 11:28, and Yehoshua 1:1.

² According to this reading, the phrase "לֹא יָמִישׁ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל" parallels Hashem's later words to Yehoshua in Yehoshua 1:8, "לֹא יָמוּשׁ סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּה מִפִּיךָ".

³ In other words, "לֹא יָמִישׁ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל" does not mean that Yehoshua never left the tent, but rather that specifically when Hashem appeared to Moshe, he remained inside, while Moshe left to hear God speak.
A. Belcher,in his article, יהושע משרת משה, raises a fourth possible reading of the verse, suggesting that after the sin Yehoshua was so disappointed in the nation that he could not bear to interact with them, leading him to remain in the tent rather than join the nation in the camp. The verse, thus, highlights the two leaders' very differing reactions to the nation's sin. While the elder Moshe is willing to "return to the camp" despite the nation's failure, the younger Yehoshua is much less forgiving. [Cf. the story of R. Shimon b. Yochai and his son upon leaving the cave in Bavli Shabbat 33b.]

⁴ See Bemidbar 11:28: "וַיָּאצֶל מִן הָרוּחַ אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו וַיִּתֵּן עַל שִׁבְעִים אִישׁ הַזְּקֵנִים".

⁵ Of course, it is also possible that the war was nonetheless fought naturally.

⁶ Moshe's words in Devarim 31, "בֶּן מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה אָנֹכִי הַיּוֹם לֹא אוּכַל עוֹד לָצֵאת וְלָבוֹא" imply that beforehand he had served in a military capacity.  Then again, as the wars against Arad, Sichon, Og and Midyan all took place in the fortieth year, by Moshe's own testimony he was no longer capable of fighting at this point.

⁷ A similar question arises when Hashem punishes the nation.  At first Hashem explicitly exempts only Calev from the decree (Bemidbar 14:24), adding Yehoshua's exemption only several verses later in 14:30.  Why is Yehoshua exceptional status not mentioned from the very beginning?

⁸ This difference in outlook might be why it is Yehoshua, and not Calev, who leads the nation after Moshe's death. See, though, Abarbanel, who asserts that Calev, too, recognized from the outset the importance of highlighting Hashem's role, and that Calev only did not do so because he felt that Moshe would do a better job of it.

⁹ See T. Granot's article, "פרשת שלח - בין כלב ליהושע בפרשת המרגלים" who develops this idea.

¹⁰ See Shemot 24:13-14 which implies that Yehoshua at least accompanied Moshe further than had the elders.

¹¹ See Midrash Aggadah who allows for this more radical possibility that Yehoshua had accompanied Moshe the entire way, and perhaps served his needs on the mountain throughout the forty days: מלמד שלא היה יהושע נפרש ממשה אלא בשעת הדיבור בלבד.